Panthers’ divisional rivals tank

The Carolina Panthers had a mini bye this week, while the rest of the NFC South tanked

The Carolina Panthers played on Thanksgiving Day, essentially giving them a mini bye.  However, the rest of the NFC South – the Atlanta Falcons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints – all were in action yesterday.

The opponents’ of the Panthers’ NFC South rivals all were playing games that were winnable and wins that were needed, however, the Falcons, Bucs and Saints all must have missed that message.

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Each team could be classified as doing one thing – tanking.

The Falcons were taking on the Minnesota Vikings at home.  The Vikings had the opportunity to take the lead in their division with a win, while the Falcons were looking to straighten the ship.  Well, that ship is still off course.

The Falcons have now lost five of their last six games, as Matt Ryan continued his erratic play, throwing

Nov 29, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr (55) and defensive tackle Tom Johnson (92) sack Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) causing a fumble during the second half at the Georgia Dome. The Vikings defeated the Falcons 20-10. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

two interceptions and throwing his only touchdown when the game was essentially over.  Remarkably though, since the entire NFC is down this year, the Falcons remain in the playoff hunt for a wild card.

The Buccaneers traveled to Indianapolis to take on the Colts and Matt Hasselbeck.  In a game that started out as a field goal contest, saw the Bucs take the lead at halftime.  However, the Bucs never scored again, while the Colts put up 19 points and came away with a 25-12 victory.  The Colts also brought Jameis Winston back to earth, as he only had one touchdown pass after coming off a five touchdown pass game last week.

Next: Panthers on the couch yesterday

Now, the Saints are just struggling.  Going into Texas to face the Texans, this could have been a good game for the Saints to get back on track before facing the Panthers next week in New Orleans.  Now the Saints did not give up over 40 points again, but they only managed to score six points, losing 24-6.

Considering the entire division struggled, maybe it is a good thing the Panthers played on Thanksgiving so they did not catch the losing bug.